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Finding Aid for the Jacqueline Bacharach Office Records
02-DPGTL  
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Table of contents What's This?
  • Descriptive Summary
  • Conditions Governing Access
  • Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
  • Preferred Citation
  • Acquisition Information
  • Processing Information
  • Biography / Administrative History
  • Scope and Content of Collection
  • Arrangement
  • Indexing Terms
  • Other Finding Aids

  • Descriptive Summary

    Title: Jacqueline Bacharach office records
    Dates: 1982-2000
    Collection number: 02-DPGTL
    Creator: Bacharach, Jacqueline
    Collection Size: 9 boxes 3.34 linear feet
    Repository: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority (LACMTA) Research Library and Archive
    Los Angeles, CA 90012-2952
    Abstract: The Jacqueline Bacharach office records document late twentieth century Los Angeles transit history. By the early 1980's it became clear that the division of power and responsibilities between the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (LACTC), local transit agencies such as the Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD), and local government bodies was proving to be an obstacle to the rational and efficient development of a countywide mass transit system. The reports and office correspondence in this collection illustrate how these problems and their solutions were being formulated and developed by the LACTC. Also at this time, the LACTC and its sister transit agencies were preparing to re-introduce rail lines as part of the mass transit system of Los Angeles County. Samples of the reports and studies generated at the early stages of these projects are represented here. Detailed descriptions of series and folders is contained in the Arrangement and Description section of this finding aid.
    Physical location: LACMTA Research Library and Archive
    Languages: English

    Conditions Governing Access

    Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact LACMTA Research Library and Archive to make an appointment.

    Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

    For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the LACMTA Research Library and Archive. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the LACMTA Research Library and Archive as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement that may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the LACMTA Research Library and Archive collections.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Jacqueline Bacharach office records, 02-DPGTL. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Agency Research Library and Archive.

    Acquisition Information

    The collection was donated to the Metro archives by Jacki Bacharach in 2006.

    Processing Information

    Processed by Patrick A. Stawski, 2006.

    Biography / Administrative History

    The Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (LACTC) was created by the California State legislature in 1976 as part of the County Transportation Commissions Act. The privately owned and operated companies which had dominated public transit in Los Angeles since the 1890's had given way in the 1960's to an array of uncoordinated and disconnected publicly held agencies operating at state, county and local levels. The mandate of the commissions was to oversee mass transit planning and policy setting at the regional level, coordinating the previously disparate efforts of the various local agencies and government bodies involved in mass transit construction and operations.
    The LACTC consisted of elected representatives from both county and municipal governments and a private citizen appointed by the LA mayor and approved by the city council. In 1980 LA County voters approved Proposition A, which established a half-cent sales tax to fund regional transit planning and construction. 35% of the revenues were to be allocated to rail, 25% to local cities for their local transit needs, and the remaining 40% were designated as discretionary funds that would be allocated as the LACTC saw fit. Due to legal wrangling, the tax did not go into effect until 1982.
    Jacqueline Bacharach came on board the commission in April of 1982. In 1980 she had been elected to the city council of Rancho Palos Verdes, where she would serve as mayor for three terms. Jacqueline was born in Chicago and raised in the San Fernando Valley. She attended UCLA and graduated with a degree in Political Science. While at UCLA she was active in the Young Democrats.
    Bacharach was an active and committed commissioner. She chaired the Planning and Mobility Improvement Committee for most of her years on the LACTC. She was part of the inter-county agency that spearheaded commuter rail in the five counties of Southern California. Later she was its first chairwoman when it became the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) in 1991 (SCRRA today operates Metrolink service). Jacqueline also headed the Rail Construction Corporation and the Blue Line Committee at the time that Los Angeles was just beginning to rebuild its passenger rail service.
    During her term as LACTC Chairwoman, Bacharach prioritized system integration and good public relations. In 1985, shortly after being elected Chairwoman, she stated in ProMotion, the LACTC newsletter, her belief that "the key to progress...is a high degree of cooperation and coordination among the other agencies involved with transportation, such as SCRTD, SCAG, CTC, and Caltrans. Therefore, more understanding and consideration of each other's needs and perspectives is one of my highest priorities for my term as Commission chair". Bacharach also understood that LA's transportation system was more than government business, it impacted every citizen of the county. According to her, "everyone in this county, no matter who they are, is affected by our transportation system. Therefore, we must share the message of our activities as often as we can". Underlying her goals and principles, was a keen awareness of the unique and important role that transportation played in weaving together the urban fabric: "The transportation network is the spine upon which the body grows. Housing, air quality, water availability, goods movement, commercial and industrial success - all depend on adequate transportation."
    Since leaving the LACTC, Jacqueline Bacharach has continued to be involved in transit planning and design. She has served as Executive Director of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG), is part of the Executive Committee of Mobility 21, a transit advocacy group in Los Angeles County, and is also involved in Compass, an organization dedicated to sustainable development in Southern California. In addition, Bacharach launched her own transit consultation firm, Jacqueline Bacharach & Associates.

    Note

    List of Abbreviations
    • CTC - California Transportation Commission
    • LACMTA - Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
    • LACTC - Los Angeles County Transportation Commission
    • SCAG - Southern California Association of Governments
    • SCRRA - Southern California Regional Rail Authority
    • SCRTD - Southern California Rapid Transit District

    Note

    List of Sources
    • - Compass Southern California, http://www.socalcompass.org/index.php (accessed May 5, 2006).
    • - Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Research Library and Archive, Los Angeles Transit History , available at http://www.mta.net/about_us/library/transit_history.htm , (April 6,2006).
    • - Los Angeles County Transportation Commission records, 06-DPGTL. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Research Library and Archive.
    • - LACMTA, "Goodbye Jacki, Ray, Judy and Jinny - We'll Miss You!", Inside Moves, n. 3, March 1993, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Research Library and Archive, LACTC Publications.
    • - LACTC, "New Commission Chairwoman Jacki Bacharach Looks Ahead - Discusses Her Objectives and Priorities for the LACTC's Next 12 Months", Promotion, v.1, n.2, Winter 1985, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Research Library and Archive, LACTC Publications.
    • - Mobility 21, http://www.mobility21coalition.com/overview/index.html (accessed May 5, 2006).
    • - Palos Verdes Library District.
    • - South Bay Cities Council of Government (SBCCOG), http://www.southbaycities.org/ (accessed May 5, 2006).

    Scope and Content of Collection

    The collection consists mainly of reports, studies, and correspondence produced by the LACTC. Please see individual series descriptions for more detail.
    Another important source for researchers interested in Jacki Bacharach is the Los Angeles Transportation Commission (LACTC) Collection at the MTA Archives. Especially significant is Series #7: Board Meeting Minutes. The meeting minutes are in digital format; researchers can use a Google search option to search the meeting minutes for "Bacharach". Researchers can access this series via the LACMTA Research Library and Archive intranet website, under the section titled "Board of Directors Policy Archives". Please contact the LACMTA Research Library and Archive for more information.

    Arrangement

    This collection is arranged chronologically and by subject matter with the exception of material that was part of larger binders of documents has been arranged according to its original order. Oversized materials, which are mainly maps, are found in Box 9 of the collection. This collection is arranged in 10 series: 1. Long Term Planning/Audits, 1982 – 1984. 2. Projects, Services, Policies, March 1982 – January 1985. 3. National and International Transit Systems, 1982 – 1984. 4. Long Beach – Los Angeles Rail Transit Project, February 1982 – 1984. 5. Environmental Impact Reports, 1982 – 1988. 6. LACTC and SCRTD Merger, 1985 – 1990. 7. Transit Studies in Southern California Corridors, 1985 – 1991. 8. Workshops and Committee Meetings, 1991 – 1992. 9. Alameda Corridor/ Directories and Manuals, 1992 – 1993. 10. Jacki Bacharach and Associates Consulting Firm Transit Studies, 1992 – 2002, 2012.

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
    Bacharach, Jacqueline
    Bacharach, Jacki
    Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
    Los Angeles County Transportation Commission
    Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority
    Rail Construction Corporation
    Southern California Rapid Transit District
    Local Transit -- California -- Los Angeles County
    Transportation -- California -- Los Angeles County
    Local Transit -- Design and construction -- California -- Los Angeles County
    Local Transit - Community relations - California - Los Angeles County
    Women - Transportation

    Other Finding Aids

    Los Angeles County Transportation Commission records, 06-DPGTL.